Jailed Vietnamese dissident Pham Doan Trang to be honored by PEN America
NEW YORK (AP) — Imprisoned Vietnamese author-blogger-journalist Pham Doan Trang will be this year’s recipient of PEN America’s Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given by the literary and free expression organization to a “jailed writer of conscience.”
Trang, 45, has written several books, among them “Politics of a Police State” and “Politics for the Common People.” She has been a prominent critic of the Vietnamese government and a leading advocate for democratic reform who was beaten by police in 2015 and now walks with a limp. In 2020, she was arrested on charges of “propaganda against the state” and sentenced to nine years in prison.
PEN, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders are among those who have condemned her treatment.
“Pham Doan Trang has galvanized the Vietnamese people through her writings on democracy, human rights, environmental degradation, and women’s empowerment,” PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement Thursday. “The Vietnamese government has persecuted and jailed Trang in an effort to still her voice. She has sacrificed her health and freedom in the pursuit of justice. Despite the government’s crackdown on dissent and activism, her powerful words continue to inspire people across Vietnam and throughout the world.”
Related articles
British and Irish officials meet as tensions rise over what to do with asylum seekers
LONDON (AP) — British and Irish officials met Monday as tensions rise over the movement of asylum se2024-04-30Māori communities must be at forefront of emergency management plans, hapū say
Ōmāhu Marae in Hawke's Bay Photo: Lauren Crimp / RNZ2024-04-30The $1m PR and lobbying campaign to overturn livestock export ban
A ban on livestock exports will almost certainly be lifted - but the industry is wary of opposition2024-04-30Eye watering amount of money for south Auckland roading project, cyclists say
Photo: Supplied / Google Maps2024-04-30Music and martial arts witness China
French martial arts enthusiasts practice traditional Chinese Qigong breathing exercises at the Mount2024-04-30- Dodgem cars gathering dust. A dismembered children's teacup ride. A roller coaster whose coasting da2024-04-30
atest comment